Mend Her Broken Heart
by keeiko
Summary: A cry of a phoenix, a single promise, and a wisp of smoke- and she was gone. Just like that. NaLu (set after The Fairy Tail Movie: The Phoenix Priestess, so lotsa angst- be warned).
1. Windows to the Past

**I own not a thing; Mashima is god.**

•••

A cry of a phoenix, a single promise, and a wisp of smoke- and she was gone.

Just like that.

For the hundredth time that night, Lucy felt the sting of tears behind her eyelids; she'd cried so much that it hurt to shed a single tear.

It hurt even when she wasn't crying, too.

Lucy rolled onto her side, and the bed creaked. The hotel they'd booked in the nearest town to Veronica was pretty cheap, but everyone needed to sleep; it had been a trying night, to say at the very least.

And Lucy couldn't even shut an eye.

Images of the past few days flashed in her mind: a strange girl collapsing to the ground; eyes that told of sadness beyond belief; a featherless Phoenix rising from a stone; and a friend lying still in her arms, smiling up at her.

"You're quite special, you know. You make a connection with everyone you meet. Just like you did with me."

Lucy felt her shoulders tremble, and she squeezed her eyes shut.

"I'm glad to have met you, truly."

The bed sheet bunched up between her fingers.

"Lucy, promise me, you'll cherish our memories."

She heaved a sob, placing a hand over her mouth. Why, why, was she so distraught? Yes she lost a friend, but if the Phoenix hadn't been stopped, millions would have perished; including her closest friends that she'd known for years. She'd only known Eclair for two days.

So why did it feel like she'd known her Lucy's entire life?

And of course she knew the answer: their pasts.

"You and I are alike. We both have the same look in our eyes."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Your eyes; they serve as a window to your past. They tell me you've known sadness."

And Lucy felt another sob rack her body. Bile rose in her throat and she clenched at her chest, coughing. But she knew if she threw up, nothing would come out except stomach acid; Lucy hadn't eaten anything since the Phoenix's destruction. She couldn't bring herself to do anything, really. She felt so tired, so helpless, so...

Weak.

That's what she was: weak. She couldn't stop that villain and ended up failing her team, she weighed down her guild mates, she couldn't protect her home.

She couldn't help her friend when she needed it the most.

"It's okay Lucy, I've had a long life. I don't want to live any longer."

Lucy sat up and reached under her pillow to feel the rough weave of rope. She pulled the item into her lap.

Lucy traced the lines of the necklace with her finger.

It was caked with dirt and blackened by flames, it's strings coming undone, but Lucy couldn't bare to throw it out. Taking the metal clasp between her fingertips, she reached behind her neck.

The place where the stone would have resided pressed cold against her heart.

But all Lucy could do was burn.

•••


	2. Simple Complications

Natsu couldn't sleep.

Which was odd, because he'd had the most tiring day of his life. He didn't exactly fight giant metal Phoenix-demons every day.

Nor did he watch Lucy completely fall apart.

And that is precisely why Natsu couldn't relax. Red blazed behind his eyelids, and even more prominent was the feel of Lucy's shoulders shaking violently, her sobs all but choking her.

"Natsu, is that true? Does magic really only bring sadness?"

He swallowed hard, licking cracked lips. Natsu blinked into the darkness, letting out a sigh. He couldn't erase the image of her from that day: her eyes wide in horror, tears spilling down her bruised face, lips quivering.

He hoped he'd never see that again.

No, he wouldn't _let_ that ever happen again.

As his thoughts drifted, he thought of Eclair. He saw her eyes sparkle as she called to him.

"Lucy needs you now, Natsu."

And he felt a wave of sadness wash over his body, making his hands quiver. He brought them up to his face, squinting through the blackness. He followed with his eyes the scars that wrapped around his knuckles, tender wounds that peeked out from between his fingers, the rough curve of his palm.

These hands were made for fighting.

And for the first time in his life, this bothered him. Natsu found himself hoping for some other function for his calloused palms. He wanted to comfort people with them, to caress a face and wipe away tears.

To reverse the pain and make her happy.

But these hands were made for hurting others, and Natsu couldn't afford to hurt Lucy. He couldn't bare to lose her, not again.

And if the last few days had told him anything, it was that life was precious. But you cannot play with life without the bringing of sadness beyond belief. You can make life the happiest, too, but it will be short.

As he reminisced, he came to a sudden realization; Lucy didn't need him.

He needed Lucy.

And as if on cue, he heard Eclair again.

"Mend her broken heart."

"I promise," Natsu said to the night. "I promise I will make her happy."

And he could've sworn he'd heard Eclair's voice whisper in his ear.

"Thank you."

•••


End file.
